a) Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a process for pressing and drying long pasta (long goods) with a dough moisture content of approximately 28% to 35% during pressing.
b) Background of the Related Art
Dough production is an old Chinese tradition and was brought to the Occident particularly via Italy. Italy possessed ideal climatic conditions for hanging and drying the still moist, flexible strands formed from dough in the fresh air on rods and corresponding frames similar to textiles or washed laundry. In contrast to laundry, which normally dries within a day in such southern climates, pasta requires several days under the same conditions to reach a moisture content of less than 13%. The pasta inevitably acquired a lightly acidic taste caused by an incipient cooking process in the dough.
In a purely physical sense, without regard to the quality of the final product, thin spaghetti can be dried in less than an hour. Nevertheless, until twenty years ago, generally 10 to 20 hours drying time was considered necessary for automated and industrial production. An upper temperature limit for drying of between 60.degree. C. and 70.degree. C., and later 75.degree. C., was likewise considered indispensable. The present Applicant achieved a first major breakthrough with the concept of complete control by a section-by-section drying climate and the simultaneous use of a drying temperature of 80.degree. C. to 100.degree. C. for long goods. It was possible to reduce the drying time to two to six hours. However, all findings confirmed that the drying technique for long goods not only causes more problems, but also requires special general conditions. The technical means must conform to the requirements of the biological, biochemical and physical laws of the product to be processed. The principle goal in the production of pasta is the inner quality of the product, e.g. cooking properties, texture (e.g. al dente) or color, tensile strength, etc. It is also very important to maintain the straightest possible shape of the individual pieces of long goods, not least importantly so as to ensure the smooth functioning of the automatic packaging machinery.